The invention relates to a massaging apparatus for massaging body areas of a person, which massaging apparatus can be placed onto the skin of a body area of a person during a massaging session and is preferably movable over the skin in a given operating direction, and which comprises a suction chamber which encloses a suction space and which comprises two chamber walls which extend substantially transversely to the operating direction and two chamber walls which extend substantially parallel to the operating direction and are connected to the two chamber walls which extend transversely to the operating direction, and which is open in its area which faces the skin of a body area when the massaging apparatus is disposed on the skin, and which comprises a pump which communicates with the suction chamber via an air-transfer duct so as to allow the passage of air and by means of which a partial vacuum can be generated inside the suction chamber when the massaging apparatus is disposed on the skin of a body area, in order to form a skin fold which is drawn into the suction chamber, and which comprises two rollers which can be placed onto the skin of a body area with their circumferential surfaces, and which are each rotatable about a roller axis which extends transversely to the operating direction and which can be driven in the same direction of rotation by means of a motor via a drive transmission, the speed vectors of the circumferential areas of the circumferential surfaces of the two rollers, which face the skin of a body area when the massaging apparatus is disposed on the skin are oriented oppositely to the operating direction, of which rollers the roller which is disposed at the front, as viewed in the operating direction, is arranged inside the suction chamber, and the roller which is disposed at the rear, as viewed in the operating direction, is arranged outside the suction chamber.
Such a massaging apparatus of the type defined in the opening paragraph is known, for example, from the patent document WO 98/02124 A1, reference being made in particular to FIG. 9 and the corresponding part of the description of the Figures of said document. In relation to the massaging apparatus disclosed in FIG. 9 of the patent document WO 98/02124 A1 no reference is made to the construction of the two rollers and the circumferential surfaces of the two rollers. However, the patent document WO 98/02124 A1 also discloses a further massaging apparatus in which the two rollers are disposed outside the suction chamber. With regard to this massaging apparatus reference may be made, for example, to FIG. 3 of the patent document WO 98/02124 A1 and the corresponding part of the description of the Figures, in which description it is remarked that the forward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, is wholly made of a comparatively hard material and that the rearward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, has an inner part made of a comparatively hard material but has a circumferential portion of a comparatively soft material and the circumferential surface of this roller consequently consists of a comparatively soft material. This construction has proved to be advantageous and satisfactory for a massaging apparatus in which the two rollers are disposed outside the suction chamber. However, tests conducted by the Applicant have proved that such a roller construction, as used in the massaging apparatus disclosed in FIG. 3 of the patent document WO 98/02124 A1, is not particularly favorable and advantageous in a massaging apparatus as shown in FIG. 9 of said patent document, in which the forward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, is disposed inside the suction chamber and the rearward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, is disposed outside the suction chamber.
It is an object of the invention to provide a satisfactory solution for the roller construction in a massaging apparatus of the type defined in the opening paragraph, in which the forward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, is disposed inside the suction chamber and in which the rearward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, is disposed outside the suction chamber, and to provide an improved massaging apparatus as compared with the massaging apparatuses in accordance with the patent document WO 98/02124 A1. To achieve this object, according to the invention, a massaging apparatus of the type defined in the opening paragraph is characterized in that the circumferential surface of the roller which is disposed at the front, as viewed in the operating direction, consists of a material having a friction value higher than that of the material of the roller which is disposed at the rear, as viewed in the operating direction.
By taking the steps in accordance with the invention it can be achieved in a very simple manner, namely by an appropriate choice of the combination of materials for the circumferential surfaces of the two rollers, that a proper and satisfactory movement of the massaging apparatus over the skin of a body area of a person is achieved and that, in addition, a satisfactory and proper formation of a skin fold and hence a good massaging action is obtained, which is achieved mainly because the movement of the massaging apparatus over the skin of a body area is effectively enhanced by the forward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, having a circumferential surface of a comparatively soft material and because the formation of a skin fold, basically by virtue of the suction effect in the suction space, is enhanced particularly by the forward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, having a circumferential surface of a comparatively soft material.
In a massaging apparatus in accordance with the invention it has proved to be particularly advantageous if the material of the circumferential surface of the forward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, has a hardness between 40 Shore A and 95 shore A and the material of the circumferential surface of the rearward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, has a hardness in a in a range between 50 N/mm2 and 180 N/mm2. Tests have revealed that for the circumferential surface of the forward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, a material having a hardness of approximately 85 Shore A and for the circumferential surface of the rearward roller, as viewed in the operating direction, a material having an indentation hardness in accordance with ISO 2039 of approximately 144 N/mm2 have proved to be very favorable.
In a massaging apparatus in accordance with the invention it has further proved to be very advantageous if the circumferential surface of the forward roller which has a multitude of studs, and the circumferential surface of the rearward roller which has a smooth shape. The studs in the area of the circumferential surface of the forward roller very effectively enhance the movement of the massaging apparatus over the skin of a body area and, furthermore, the studs produce an additional massaging effect, as a result of which the effectiveness of the massaging apparatus is increased additionally.
The afore-mentioned as well as further aspects of the invention will be apparent from the embodiment described hereinafter by way of example and will be elucidated with reference to this example.